Forum focus on proper use of social media

Manama, December 3, 2013

Experts from around the world will share their knowledge of social media at a forum to be held at the Movenpick Hotel, Bahrain next week.

The Social Media Masters Forum, on December 10 and 11, will be held under the patronage of Minister of State for Communications Affairs Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

It is being organised by the Social Media Club Bahrain Chapter and will be led by author and keynote speaker Patrick Schwerdtfeger.

The event will see speakers from the US, Canada, UK and Netherlands advise business professionals on how to better integrate social media into their organisations and use it to promote their brand and generate sales.

Five other speakers, including US National Institute of Social Media president Eric Mills, Social Media Club US president Golden Ashby, social media analytics website Crowdbabble chief executive Canadian Abbas Alidina, Internet marketing consultancy Web Reactivators founder Ernesto Verdugo from Holland and Mindshare Mena region digital head Boye Balogun, will take part in the first day of activities.

The second day will feature a seminar given by Schwerdtfeger highlighting the correct use of Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms to build a business.

"This forum is the first and largest of its kind in the region and comes after the great success of the first edition in September last year, which was held over five days with the participation of more than 200 people from various sectors," said Social Media Club Bahrain Chapter president Ali Sabkar.

"In its second year, it aims to explore the latest developments of the social media industry around the world, and look at the experiences of other countries."

The GDN reported last month that activity in Bahrain's social media sector has grown by 20 per cent in the last year, prompting the government to join forces with the Social Media Club and Tamkeen to train job seekers for potentially lucrative new roles. - TradeArabia News Service